Women entrepreneurship development is an essential part of human resource
development. The development of women entrepreneurship is very low in India, ...
Global Journal of Management and Business Studies. ISSN 2248-9878 Volume 3, Number 4 (2013), pp. 371-376 © Research India Publications http://www.ripublication.com/gjmbs.htm
Women Entrepreneurship Development in India Priyanka Sharma Jaipur National University, Jaipur, India.
Abstract Women entrepreneurship development is an essential part of human resource development. The development of women entrepreneurship is very low in India, especially in the rural areas. Entrepreneurship amongst women has been a recent concern. Women have become aware of their existence their rights and their work situation. However, women of middle class are not too eager to alter their role in fear of social backlash. The progress is more visible among upper class families in urban cities. This paper focuses on women entrepreneur. Any understanding of Indian women, of their identity, and especially of their role taking and breaking new paths, will be incomplete without a walk down the corridors of Indian history where women have lived and internalized various role models.
1. Introduction The Indian economy has been witnessing a drastic change since mid -1991, with new policies of economic liberalization, globalization and privatization initiated by the Indian government. India has great entrepreneurial potential. At present, women involvement in economic activities is marked by a low work participation rate, excessive concentration in the unorganized sector and employment in less skilled jobs. Any strategy aimed at economic development will be lop-sided without involving women who constitute half of the world population. Evidence has unequivocally established that entrepreneurial spirit is not a male prerogative. Women entrepreneurship has gained momentum in the last three decades with the increase in the number of women enterprises and their substantive contribution to economic growth. The industrial performance of Asia-Pacific region propelled by Foreign Direct Investment, technological innovations and manufactured exports has brought a wide range of economic and social opportunities to women entrepreneurs.
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In this dynamic world, women entrepreneurs are an important part of the global quest for sustained economic development and social progress. In India, though women have played a key role in the society, their entrepreneurial ability has not been properly tapped due to the lower status of women in the society. It is only from the Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-78) onwards that their role has been explicitly recognized with a marked shift in the approach from women welfare to women development and empowerment. The development of women entrepreneurship has become an important aspect of our plan priorities. Several policies and programmes are being implemented for the development of women entrepreneurship in India. There is a need for changing the mindset towards women so as to give equal rights as enshrined in the constitution. The progress towards gender equality is slow and is partly due to the failure to attach money to policy commitments. In the words of president APJ Abdul Kalam "empowering women is a prerequisite for creating a good nation, when women are empowered, society with stability is assured. Empowerment of women is essential as their thoughts and their value systems lead to the development of a good family, good society and ultimately a good nation." When a woman is empowered it does not mean that another individual becomes powerless or is having less power. On the contrary, if a women is empowered her competencies towards decision- making will surely influence her family's behavior. In advanced countries, there is a phenomenon of increase in the number of selfemployed women after the world war 11. In USA, women own 25% of all business, even though their sales on an average are less than two-fifths of those of other small business. In Canada, women own one-third of small business and in France it is onefifth.
2. Concept of Entrepreneur An entrepreneur is a person who combines capital and labor for production. According to Cantillion "entrepreneur is the agent who buys means of production at certain prices, in order to sell at prices that are certain at the moment at which he commits himself to his cost". According to P.F Drucker " he is one who always (1) searches for change (2) responds to it (3) exploits it as an opportunity."
3. Concept of Women Entrepreneur A woman entrepreneur is a woman who starts and owns and enterprise by investing at least 51% in an enterprise.
4. Categories of Women Entrepreneurs • • •
Women in organized & unorganized sector Women in traditional & modern industries Women in urban & rural areas
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Women in large scale and small scale industries. Single women and joint venture.
5. Categories of Women Entrepreneurs in Practice in India •
First Category • Established in big cities • Having higher level technical & professional qualifications • Nontraditional Items • Sound financial positions
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Second Category • Established in cities and towns • Having sufficient education • Both traditional and nontraditional items • Undertaking women services-kindergarten, crèches, beauty parlors, health clinic etc
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Third Category • Illiterate women • Financially week • Involved in family business such as Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Dairy, Fisheries, Agro Forestry, Handloom, Power loom etc.
6. Supportive Measures for Women”S Economic Activities and Entrepreneurship • • •
Direct & indirect financial support Technological training and awards Federations and associations
6.1 Direct & Indirect Financial Support • Nationalized banks • State finance corporation • State industrial development corporation • District industries centers • Differential rate schemes • Mahila Udyog Nidhi scheme • Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) • State Small Industrial Development Corporations (SSIDCs)
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6.2 Technological Training and Awards • Stree Shakti Package by SBI • Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India • Trade Related Entrepreneurship Assistance and Development (TREAD) • National Institute of Small Business Extension Training (NSIBET) • Women's University of Mumbai 6.3 Federations and Associations • National Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs (NAYE) • India Council of Women Entrepreneurs, New Delhi • Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) • Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka (AWEK) • World Association of Women Entrepreneurs (WAWE) • Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW) 6.4 Women Work Participation Country India (1970-1971) India (1980-1981) India (1990-1991) India (2000-2001) USA UK Indonesia Sri Lanka Brazil
Percentage 14.2 19.7 22.3 31.6 45 43 40 35 35
6.5 Some Examples Mahila Grah Udyog – 7 ladies started in 1959 Lizzat Pappad, Lakme – Simon Tata Shipping corporation – Mrs. Sumati Morarji Herbal Heritage– Ms. Shahnaz Hussain Balaji films- Ekta Kapoor Kiran Mazumdar - Bio-technology
7. Problems of Women Entrepreneurs in India Women in India are faced many problems to get ahead their life in business. A few problems can be detailed as; 1. The greatest deterrent to women entrepreneurs is that they are women. A kind of patriarchal – male dominant social order is the building block to them in
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their way towards business success. Male members think it a big risk financing the ventures run by women. The financial institutions are skeptical about the entrepreneurial abilities of women. The bankers consider women loonies as higher risk than men loonies. The women entrepreneurs are suffering from inadequate financial resources and working capital. The women entrepreneurs lack access to external funds due to their inability to provide tangible security. Very few women have the tangible property in hand. Women's family obligations also bar them from becoming successful entrepreneurs in both developed and developing nations. "Having primary responsibility for children, home and older dependent family members, few women can devote all their time and energies to their business" (Starcher, ) The business success is depends on the support the family members. The interest of the family members is a determinant factor in the realization of women folk business aspirations.
8. Ways to Develop Women Entrepreneurs 1. Consider women as specific target group for all developmental programmers. 2. Better educational facilities and schemes should be extended to women folk from government part. 3. Adequate training program on management skills to be provided to women community. 4. Encourage women's participation in decision-making. 5. Vocational training to be extended to women community that enables them to understand the production process and production management.
9. Conclusion Entrepreneurship among women, no doubt improves the wealth of the nation in general and of the family in particular. Women today are more willing to take up activities that were once considered the preserve of men, and have proved that they are second to no one with respect to contribution to the growth of the economy. Women entrepreneurship must be moulded properly with entrepreneurial traits and skills to meet the changes in trends, challenges global markets and also be competent enough to sustain and strive for excellence in the entrepreneurial arena.
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Dhameja S K (2002) , Women Entrepreneurs : Opportunities, performance, problems, Deep publications (p) Ltd, New Delhi, p 11
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